Home
by theINTERSECT
Summary: Sarah's journey home after a year undercover in Volkoff Industries, trying to bring down the company from the inside and save Chuck's mom. A story of love, family and romance. AU after 4x11. Oneshot.


A/N: Hey guys! I'm back with another story. (: This time it's a one shot set following the events from 4x11. It basically goes AU from there onwards. Anyways...hope you guys enjoy, and any mistakes are mine.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Chuck

* * *

**Holding cell, Castle, 10:00pm.**

Sarah glanced around at the four steel walls that surround her, her brain still trying to comprehend the whirlwind of events that had just occurred. Looking down at the chains around her ankles and wrists, she lets out a sigh.

Hearing the sound of approaching footsteps, she adverted her glance to the glass door of the cell, only to see Beckman striding purposefully in the direction of her cell. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to block out everything around her. She'd made her decision, and there was no going back.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of the cell door sliding open. It tore her apart knowing that she probably wouldn't be able to see him for a while. Knowing that it was almost time, she mentally prepared herself for her departure.

She heard the door slide shut. Sensing a presence in the room, she opened her eyes and found herself staring into the chocolate brown eyes of the man she loved.

Kneeling down in front of her and placing a hand on her knee, he began to speak. 'I don't need a balcony, I don't need a sunset, we have each other, and that's all that matters - '

'Chuck, I'm leaving.' Her shoulders slumped as she broke the news to him, and there was an obvious tone of sadness in her voice. As she studied his face - trying to imprint his features in her memory - her heart broke as she watched the spark from his eyes disappear and his eyebrows burrowing in confusion.

'What?' He said incredulously as he stood up. 'Where are they taking you?'

'They're not taking me. Chuck, I'm going.' Sarah stood up shakily. Adverting her glance to the floor, she began to tell Chuck the reasons behind the whole fiasco. 'Beckman never thought I was a traitor. It was a setup. The perfect opportunity to establish my cover as a double agent.' Taking a step towards him, she laced her fingers between his and held onto his hands tightly, musing up the courage to look him in the eye once more. 'Chuck, we have so much together. We have a real life, and a future. But I need to go back to be the old be for a little while longer...if I plan on surviving this.'

'Surviving what...where are you going?'

'I'm going undercover into Volkoff Industries. I'm going to take them down from the inside.'

It was Chuck's worst nightmare come true. 'No. No. No you're not. That's exactly how I lost my mom.'

'That's exactly how you're going to get her back. Chuck, I'm doing this for you, okay? I'm doing it for us.'

His expression turned from one of worry to sadness. 'Why does it have to be you?'

'Chuck, you have to trust me, okay? For Beckman's plan to work, it has to be me. I'm sorry.' She held back a couple of tears.

The door slid open and Beckman's voice resounded through the whole cell. 'Agent Walker. It's time.'

Sarah looked to the floor and gave her a slight nod. Then, swallowing back a sob, she turned to look at him once more.

'I love you.' He said.

'I love you too, Chuck. I'm not going to come back without your mom.'

Cradling her head with both hands, he leaned down and pressed his lips onto hers.

As the guards dragged her away, she turned to take one last look at her Chuck. _It'll all be worth it when he gets his mom back._ She thought to herself.

As he watched her turn the corner, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out the little red box. Fighting back a couple of tears, he took one last glance at the ring and snapped it close. _Come home safe, Sarah. _

* * *

**TWO WEEKS LATER.**

**A Volkoff Industries Jet, 9:00pm.**

Bringing her hand to her face, she used a finger to trace her lip, imagining Chuck's lips on hers. His last kiss still burned against her lip, and the distance burned a hole through her heart. Shifting in her seat, she leaned up against the back of the chair. Staring out the plane window at the vast expanse of darkness, she couldn't help but think of him. She wondered what he was doing now.

Fumbling with her hands, she adverted her glance to her naked ring finger and let out a sigh.

Mary reached over and placed a hand on top of hers. 'It gets easier.'

'I know.' She whispered. But she knew she was kidding herself, because she knew it wouldn't get easier. It wasn't supposed to be like this. She was supposed to be in his arms, all wrapped up safe and tight, not a hundred thousand miles away in the face of danger.

'Distance.' Mary said, squeezing her hand.

Sarah let a tear slip down her face. Mary reached into her pocket with her free hand and pulled out a tissue. Offering Sarah the tissue, she gave her hand another squeeze. 'Thanks.' Sarah said softly.

Dabbing her eyes with the tissue, she turned to look at Mary. 'Mary?'

'Hm?'

'I think...never mind.'

There was a sense of urgency in Sarah's voice that was unsettling. Mary knew it was something important. 'Sarah, tell me.'

'I think – I think I might be pregnant.'

* * *

**ONE YEAR LATER.**

**Burbank Park, 3:00pm.**

Sitting on a bench in the park, he watched as his niece played quietly with a park friend in the sandbox. He was on babysitting duty today – Ellie and Devon both had long shifts today, and their usual babysitter was out of town.

Glancing around, he watched as couples walked hand in hand with their kids through the park, laughing and talking as they went along. It had been one year since Sarah had left. One full year without her. He let out a small, inaudiable sigh. He was coping, but he didn't know how much longer he could last.

Out of the corner of his eye, he eyed a woman that looked eerily like Sarah from the back. The woman held a small baby in her arms, and was talking to an old lady. Focusing in on them, he couldn't help but overhear their conversation.

'Pretty baby you have there.' The old lady cooed. 'How old is she?'

'She's four months old.' The blonde woman replied. Hearing her voice, he had no doubt it was her. It was unmistakable.

He watched as the old lady leaned over the baby. 'Her eyes are really pretty...a nice shade of chocolate brown. Must have gotten them from her dad.'

'Yeah – '

Before Sarah could finish her sentence, a man walked up to her and placed an arm around her shoulders. 'We have to go now.' He said with a tone of urgency in his voice.

Chuck was just about to follow them when Clara let out a loud shriek. Running over to his niece, he scooped her up out of the sandpit and held her in his arms. 'What's the matter?'

Clara rubbed her eyes with her little hands. 'He stole my toy.' She said, pointing accursedly to the little boy she'd been playing with.

'It's okay Clara. Toys are for sharing.' Clara shook her head and rested it on his shoulder, still sobbing. 'If you stop crying, Uncle Chuck will buy you some ice cream on the way home.'

Upon hearing the word 'ice cream', Clara's cries immediately subsided. Using a hand to rub Clara's back, he looked up in search for Sarah. However, she was nowhere to be found.

Shaking his head in disappointment, he picked up Clara's stuff and headed over to the car.

* * *

**Casa Bartowski, 7:00pm.**

Chuck stared down at his sizzling shrimp and picked at it.

'What's up?' Morgan asked. 'You seem down today.'

'It's nothing.'

'Tell me.'

'You're gonna think I'm crazy...but I saw Sarah today.'

'You're dreaming.'

'No. It was her. She had her back to me, but I knew it was her. The thing was...she was with another man, and she was holding a baby.'

'Why didn't you chase after her then?'

'Well...I was with Clara and she started crying...by the time I'd taken care of her, she was nowhere to be found...'

'Chuck. Dude. It's just your imagination. She's gone for good...she's not coming back.'

* * *

**TWO DAYS LATER.**

**Echo Park, 4:00pm.**

The mission was done. Volkoff Industries had been taken down - it was over. Leaving their base after putting the final touches on the mission reports, she officially shut down the operation. Juggling the baby in one arm and her bags in the other, she made her way over to her car. The baby – Charlotte – had been born almost four months ago, whilst she was still undercover.

The past year had been a great challenge for her. Not only was she unable to see Chuck – and she missed him like hell - but soon after going undercover, she learnt that she was pregnant.

Walking into the courtyard, she felt a smile form on her face. She couldn't wait to see him again. Looking down at Charlotte, she found her staring up at her with her big brown eyes. 'Hi sweetie.' Sarah brought a hand to her little face and gently ran a finger down her cheek. 'We're home.'

Repositioning Charlotte, she took a deep breath and reached into her pocket and pulled out a set of keys. She fumbled with the keys for a while before coming to the correct one. Unlocking the door and easing it open, she came face to face with Morgan.

'Hi Morgan. Is Chuck home?' Peering into the apartment, she found that nothing much had changed.

'What are you doing here?' Morgan snapped.

'Wha – What?' Sarah stuttered, the smile disappearing from her face and her eyebrows burrowing in confusion.

'You leave for an entire year, never answering or returning his calls. It always flew to your voicemail. The poor boy left you a message every day, but I bet you never listened to any of them.'

'Voicemail – what? I haven't turned my phone on for over a year now...I couldn't, because I had to keep you guys safe – '

Morgan cut her off and continued rambling on. 'He told me he saw you at the park a couple of days ago with a man and baby. I told him he was just dreaming, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe he did really see you at the park...but it did break his heart knowing that you've moved on and found another guy.'

Sarah's heart dropped. 'It was a mission, Morgan.'

His voice went up a notch. 'Mission? Everything's a mission to you.'

Morgan's words really stung, and Charlotte had begun fussing in her arms. Cradling her closer, she took a step back from the door as a tear slipped down her cheek. 'Chuck was never a mission to me.' She whispered.

Morgan took a step forward and guarded the door. 'Who's baby is she anyways?' He said, pointing to Charlotte.

'It's Chuck's – ' Sarah started.

But Morgan wasn't listening. 'You know what? I don't even want to hear it. You've caused him enough pain. Do him a favour and leave.'

'I just...can I – '

'I'm just protecting my best friend.' Grabbing the keys from her hands, he slammed the door on her.

All the commotion startled Charlotte, and it caused her to start crying. Looking down at her watch, she found that it was close to Charlotte's dinnertime. She knew that if she didn't feed her now, she wouldn't have another opportunity soon. Heck, she didn't even know where she was headed – for the first time in a long time, she felt lost and hopeless.

Sitting down on the ledge of the fountain, she pulled open her jacket, pulled down her shirt and allowed Charlotte to latch on. She pulled her jacket back closed slightly to cover herself and Charlotte.

Using a free hand, she reached into her tote bag and rummaged around for her iPhone. Locating it and brushing off the dirt and dust that had accumulated on it from being at the bottom of the bag and from months of no utilization, she pressed the on button. She wondered what Morgan was talking about when accused her for not listening to the messages Chuck had left for her.

Pressing the voicemail button, she brought the phone to her ear. 'You have 411 messages. Message number 1. Sarah, please come home safe. I love you. Take care. Chuck.'

Upon hearing his voice, she felt more tears slip down her cheeks. She'd missed his voice. 'Message number 2. Sarah, why aren't you answering my calls? I need to know you're okay. Call me. Chuck...'

'...Message number 101. Hi Sarah. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope you're doing well. Please call me. I miss you. Chuck.'

It'd started drizzling. After making sure Charlotte was well covered, she continued listening to his messages. The tears were flowing steadily down her cheeks now.

'...Message number 150. Hey Sarah. Guess what happened today? Morgan moved in with Alex. Casey wasn't too happy with it at first...it was actually pretty funny. He eventually accepted it, and now everyone's happy. Well...almost everyone. The apartment feels so empty now...without you and Morgan...Call me. I love you. Chuck.'

Sarah let out a little chuckle through her tears. The rain was pouring down now, but she didn't care. As she continued with the messages, her tears melded with the rain.

* * *

Chuck walked out of the shower dressed in a semi-casual shirt and a pair of slacks. Ellie and Devon insisted he come to dinner with them tonight for his help with Clara.

Walking into the living room, he found Morgan sitting on the couch, reading a magazine. He was anticipating someone else, because he'd heard someone at the door when he was in the shower.

'Morgan, who was at the door just now?' Chuck asked.

'It was...uh...it was no one.' He said, not looking up from his magazine.

Not believing him, Chuck took a glance out the window – although he didn't know who he was expecting to be outside in the rain. When he saw her, he did a double take. 'Sarah.' He breathed.

'Wha – What? I thought told her to leave.' Standing up, he closed the magazine and stood up to try to stop his best friend. 'Chuck. Dude. She ruined your life. She ruined you.'

Grabbing an umbrella and putting a pair of shoes on, he turned to look at his best friend one last time before rushing out the door. 'No Morgan. She saved me.'

Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah could see the door opening. Dumping her phone back in her bag, she quickly pulled Charlotte away from her breast. Pulling her shirt back up and pulling her coat closed, she gathered her stuff and stood up to leave.

'Sorry, I'm leaving now...' Without glancing back, she juggled the baby and her bag in her arms as she made her way towards the exit. She was drenched and her face was streaked full of tears, but she didn't care. Hearing the padding of footsteps behind her, she quickened her pace.

Suddenly, she heard her name over the constant rhythmic beating of raindrops against the tiled floor of the courtyard. 'SARAH!'

Stopping just short of the archway to the gates, she swivelled around and found him running towards her in a mad frenzy. He held an umbrella in his hand, but he wasn't using it. 'Sarah, don't go.'

As he reached her, he snaked an arm around her waist and brought a hand to her face. Stroking it gently, he looked into her eyes. 'Please don't leave.'

His touch caused a shiver to run down her spine. A smile grazed her face as she was shocked speechless with happiness. As his lips crashed down on hers, their tongues fell back into a rhythmic dance they'd never forgotten.

When they broke for air, they both had glorious smiles on their faces. Resting their foreheads against each other's, they stared into each other's eyes.

'Hi.' Sarah whispered.

'Hi.' Chuck whispered back.

'I'm home.'

Upon hearing this, Chuck wrapped his other arm around her waist as well and pulled her in even closer. Pressing his lips onto hers once more, they engaged in another heated kiss.

This time however, Sarah could feel Charlotte squirming in her arms. Breaking for air, Sarah let out a small chuckle. 'Uhh...Chuck?'

'Hmm?' He said, staring dazed at her with a large grin on his face.

'We're squishing her.'

'Oh.'

* * *

**Casa Bartowski, 9:00am.**

Chuck lay on his side in bed, staring at his four-month-old daughter and his beautiful wife whom were both asleep beside him. Looking closer, he found that Charlotte was no longer asleep but was staring back at him. 'Hi sweetie.' He whispered. 'Who's the pretty girl?' Chuck cooed as he tickled her belly.

Charlotte smiled. Picking her up, he rolled onto his back and lifted her up in the air. 'Charlotte's the pretty girl, isn't that right?'

Charlotte giggled at her dad's comment. He brought her down to his chest, then lifted her back up in the air again. After doing it a couple of times, she began crying. He lay her on his chest and rocked her back and forth, smothering her with kisses. 'Shh baby. It's okay.' However, she wouldn't stop crying.

'She's hungry.' Turning his head to the left, he found Sarah staring at him with a smile on her face.

'Ho – how long have you been awake for?'

'Long enough.' It warmed her heart to see the father daughter interaction. 'Here.' She said, holding out her hands for the crying baby.

Passing Charlotte to Sarah, he propped up a couple of pillows and sat up against the back of the bed, patting the empty spot between his legs as an invitation for Sarah to sit. Sarah scooted over and made herself comfortable between Chuck's legs, leaning back on him and resting her head on his chest.

He wrapped his arms around her torso as she pulled down the top of her tank top so Charlotte could eat. Charlotte latched on immediately and stopped crying.

They sat in silence as they watched their daughter eat. 'I've missed this.' Sarah said softly.

'Me too.' Chuck said, giving her a soft kiss on her cheek. 'So why did you choose the name Charlotte?'

'Well I wanted something that reminded me of you, but of course, I couldn't name her Chuck or Charles as she was a girl. Your mom suggested Charlotte, and I immediately fell in love with the name.'

'It's a pretty name.' Chuck whispered whilst looking down at his daughter.

'It is. And it's a name with a French origin, which I thought suited her really well because she was kind of made in France...' Sarah turned to look at Chuck with a somewhat seductive look on her face.

Chuck laughed. 'Really?'

'Mm-hmm.' She stared into the distance and let out a sigh. 'I'm sorry I couldn't tell you earlier – '

'No.' He said, resting a hand on top of her hands that were supporting Charlotte. 'I'm sorry I missed your pregnancy and her birth.'

'It was my fault, Chuck. I chose to go.'

He gave her hands a light squeeze. 'But the reason you left was to bring my mom back.'

'Your mom has been a great help. I don't know what'd have done without her.' She said, looking down at Charlotte once more.

'Thanks for bringing her back.'

At this moment, Charlotte decided to let her parents know she was full. She moved away from her mom's chest and let out a small gurgle. Sarah pulled her tank top back up and burped her, then lay her back on her chest. They both watched their daughter slowly drift off into a peaceful slumber.

Sarah began speaking with a hint of nervousness in her voice. She was glad she was sitting in his arms, and was not facing him, because she didn't know how she would tell him if she had to look into his eyes. 'You know...at the park a couple of days ago...it was a mission...it's not what you think it is...'

'I know.' Chuck said simply.

'But Morgan said you – '

Chuck let out a small chuckle. 'It's Morgan we're talking about here...who are we kidding?'

'So you're not mad?' She asked, turning around so she could see his face.

'Nope.' He grinned. 'All I care about is that you're home.'

Sarah let out a small inward sigh of relief. 'I missed you a lot.'

'I missed you too.' He laughed. 'I didn't even know I could miss anyone that much. I dreamt of you every night...it was the happiest part of my day, because I got to see you. Sometimes I would just lie in bed, pretending you were next to me, and talk into my phone.'

Sarah laughed. 'I heard those messages.'

Her laugh was like music to his ears. 'You did?' He asked.

'Well to be honest, I just listened to them today...I'm really sorry I didn't contact you, but Volkoff and the people working around him were dangerous people. Contacting you could have put you in a lot of danger - '

He put a finger to her lip and shushed her. 'Shh. No more apologies.'

Feeling Chuck shifting slightly beneath her, she sat up and leaned down to give her baby girl a kiss on the head. Once he'd settled back down, she leaned back against him once more.

Chuck took a deep breath as he launched into his speech. 'Sarah, this time apart has really emphasized how important you are to me, and I know for a fact that I would like to spend everyday of the rest of my life with you and our little baby girl.'

Sarah could feel her eyes watering at his words.

'And I know it's been a long time coming, but I've been dying to ask you this question for a while now.' He took another deep breath as he held out the little red box with one hand and popped it open. 'Sarah, will you marry me?'

She'd already seen the ring a couple of times before, so it technically wasn't a surprise, but she still felt a tear slip down her cheek. Swivelling her head around, she looked into his eyes and said the one word she'd been dying to say the past year. 'Yes.'

* * *

**Casa Bartowski, 8:00pm.**

Upon finding out about Chuck and Sarah's engagement, Ellie pulled together a celebratory dinner in the span of less than a day. They'd just finished dinner, and everyone was filtering into the living room.

Chuck was making his way to the kitchen to make some hot chocolate for him and Sarah when Mary stopped him. She looked at him with a smile on her face as she placed a hand on his arm. 'I'm glad you asked her to marry you. She's the right girl.'

Mary turned her glance to Sarah, who was sitting on a couch in the corner of the living room, cuddling Charlotte in her arms with a smile on her face. As Chuck followed her glance, a wide smile spread on his face. 'I know...she's all I could ever ask for.'

They stared at the duo for a while. After a while, Chuck turned to look at his mom, only to find her staring at him with a weird look on her face. 'Mom, you look like you have something to say.'

Turning back to look at Sarah, Mary let out a sigh. 'You should have seen how hard it was for her...going through everything alone. She's a tough woman - never letting her emotions show, keeping everything bottled up - but I knew. I could tell. Delivery day was the only day she let her emotions run free. She had a particularly long and arduous labour...lots of sweat, blood and tears. She kept on calling out for you. And then there was the smile on her face when she first saw little Charlotte, but the tears in her eyes because you weren't there. She kept on saying 'I wish Chuck was here'.'

As he listened to his mom tell him Sarah's story, he felt his eyes beginning to well up at everything she'd had to go through.

Mary continued talking. 'Some nights, she would sit by the window and stare into the baby's eyes. She never said anything, but I could tell she was thinking about you.' She gave her son's arm a soft squeeze. 'Cherish her, Charles. Don't lose her.'

Chuck stifled a sniffle. 'Don't worry mom. I will.'

Mary gave him a nod before letting go of his arm and heading towards the living room to join the rest of the family.

'Oh, and mom?'

Mary stopped in her path and turned back to face Chuck.

'Thanks for taking care of her.'

Mary gave him a smile before resuming her walk.

After watching his mother take a seat on the couch next to his sister, Chuck turned and continued to the kitchen – his original destination. Opening the top cupboard, he pulled out two packs of hot chocolate powder. Placing it on the counter, he filled the kettle with some tap water and returned it to its stand, pressing the 'on' button. Whilst waiting for it to boil,, he grabbed two cups from the dishwasher and emptied one pack of hot chocolate powder in each.

Sensing a presence beside him, he turned and found Morgan standing next to him. 'So, you actually asked her to marry you.' He asked.

'Yup.' Chuck said.

'I don't get it. How could you forgive her?' He questioned.

'What is there to forgive?' Chuck replied. 'Everything she did was for me. I got my mom back, and now I have a beautiful little daughter – '

'But she left you.' Morgan said, cutting in over him.

Chuck let out a sigh. 'Morgan, buddy, when you love someone, it's different. When you find someone you love in the future, you'll understand.'

The kettle let out a click, indicating that the water was ready. Picking the kettle up off its stand, Chuck filled both mugs with boiling water. Placing it back on the stand and sticking two stirring spoons in the mugs respectively, he grabbed them – one in each hand – and made his way out into the living room.

Morgan watched as Chuck walked over to Sarah and sat down beside her. Placing the two mugs on the coffee table in front of them, he wrapped an arm around her and Charlotte protectively as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Seeing the smile on his best friend's face, he whipped out his phone and snapped a picture of the happy family. 'I guess.' Morgan said, shrugging.

* * *

A/N: So...how did you guys like it? Tell me in a review on the way out (: I really appreciate all your support!


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